Shaping and Baking
Cooking Skills: Bread 1
Chapter 3 · Shaping and Baking
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
Shaping is about tension: pulling the surface of the dough tight so it holds its shape and rises up. Baking is about heat and steam. This chapter covers both, with four shapes from one dough.
Shaping tips
- Use as little flour as you can: dough needs a slightly tacky surface to grip so it can be tightened.
- Seam side down: the seam goes underneath, so the smooth side shows and the loaf doesn't split along the top.
- Be gentle: after proving, the dough is full of gas. Handle it as little as possible.
- Weigh pieces: equal sizes bake evenly.
Scoring
A slash across the top gives the steam somewhere to escape and the loaf somewhere to expand, so it opens neatly instead of splitting where it likes. Cut quickly, about 0.5 to 1 cm deep, with a sharp blade held at a shallow angle.
Crust and steam
A hot, steamy oven keeps the surface soft for the first 10 minutes so the loaf can expand (called oven spring), then the crust sets golden and crisp. A tray of boiling water on the oven floor makes this steam at home. Without steam you get a thicker, paler, less glossy crust.
| Bread | Oven temperature | Time | Steam? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tin loaf | 220°C (200°C fan) | 30 to 35 minutes | No |
| Cob | 220°C (200°C fan) | 30 to 35 minutes | Optional |
| Baguette-style sticks | 230°C (210°C fan) | 20 to 25 minutes | Yes |
| Plait (enriched) | 200°C (180°C fan) | 30 to 35 minutes | No |
| Rolls | 220°C (200°C fan) | 15 to 20 minutes | Optional |
Cooling
Cool bread for at least 30 minutes on a wire rack. It is still cooking inside and the crumb is gummy until it has set. A crisp crust will soften as it cools, and crisps again if you warm it for 5 minutes.
Try it
A cob
A cob is a round freestanding loaf, baked on a tray with no tin. The shaping is the skill: a tight, smooth surface makes it rise up instead of out.
Ingredients (12 portions)
- 500 g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 sachet (7 g) sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 10 g fine salt
- 320 ml lukewarm water
- 1 tbsp oil
- Make the dough as in chapter 2 (Cooking Skills: Bread 1, chapter 2): mix, knead for 8 to 10 minutes, then prove in an oiled bowl for about 1 hour until doubled.
- Knock back and shape a ball: flatten, fold the edges to the middle, flip it over and cup your hands around it, dragging it towards you on the surface to tighten the skin.
- Place on a floured tray, seam side down. Cover and prove for 30 to 45 minutes until puffy.
- Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Dust with flour, slash the top with a sharp knife or blade (a cross or a single curved cut about 1 cm deep), and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Check it is done (see below), then cool on a rack.
Baguette-style sticks
A long shape gives more crust per slice. They bake quickly in a very hot oven with steam, which gives a crisp, crackly crust.
Ingredients (3 portions)
- 500 g strong white bread flour
- 1 sachet (7 g) sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 10 g fine salt
- 330 ml lukewarm water
- 1 tbsp semolina or flour for the tray
- Make the dough: mix, knead for 10 minutes and prove for about 1 hour until doubled.
- Divide into 3 pieces. Flatten each into a rectangle, fold the long edges to the middle and seal, then roll with the palms of your hands from the centre outwards to a length of about 30 cm, tapering gently at the ends.
- Place on a floured or semolina-dusted tray, cover and prove for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 230°C (210°C fan) with a roasting tin on the bottom shelf. Slash each stick 3 times on a slant. Slide the tray in, pour a cup of boiling water into the tin, close the door and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until deep golden.
- Cool on a rack. They are best eaten the same day.
A plaited loaf
A three-strand plait looks impressive and is easy. Roll the ropes evenly and plait loosely: the dough will expand.
Ingredients (12 portions)
- 500 g strong white bread flour
- 1 sachet (7 g) sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 10 g fine salt
- 30 g butter, softened
- 300 ml lukewarm milk, or half milk and half water
- 1 egg, beaten, mixed with 1 tbsp milk, for glazing
- 1 tbsp sesame or poppy seeds (optional)
- Make a dough with the flour, yeast, salt, butter and milk. Knead for 10 minutes and prove for about 1 hour.
- Divide into 3 equal pieces (weigh them). Roll each into a rope about 40 cm long, thicker in the middle than at the ends.
- Pinch the three ropes together at the top and plait loosely: right over middle, left over middle, and so on. Pinch and tuck the ends under.
- Place on a lined tray, cover and prove for 30 to 45 minutes. Brush with the egg glaze and scatter with seeds.
- Bake at 200°C (180°C fan) for 30 to 35 minutes, until deep golden and hollow underneath. If it browns too fast, cover loosely with foil. Cool on a rack.
Bread rolls
Rolls are the best way to practise shaping, because you get eight tries. Weigh the pieces so they all bake at the same speed.
Ingredients (8 portions)
- 500 g strong white bread flour
- 1 sachet (7 g) sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 10 g fine salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 25 g butter, softened
- 300 ml lukewarm milk or water
- 1 tbsp milk for brushing
- Make the dough and prove for about 1 hour until doubled.
- Weigh the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces (about 100 g each, or 60 g for small rolls). Shape each into a tight ball: cup your hand over it on an unfloured surface and move it in small circles until smooth and taut.
- Place on a lined tray, leaving 3 cm between them. Cover and prove for 30 minutes. Brush with milk.
- Bake at 220°C (200°C fan) for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden and hollow-sounding underneath. Cool on a rack.
Experiments
Scoring or not
Does the slash matter?
- Shape two identical cobs. Slash one and leave the other unscored. Bake together.
Look for: The scored loaf opens along the cut and rises evenly. The unscored loaf may burst at the side or hold a smaller, rounder shape.
Steam or dry oven
The crust effect.
- Bake two identical sticks, one with the steam tray and one without.
Look for: The steamed stick has a thinner, crisper, shinier crust and better rise. The dry stick is paler with a thicker, duller crust.
Oven temperature
Hot or moderate.
- Bake two rolls at 220°C (200°C fan) and two at 180°C (160°C fan).
Look for: The hot oven gives a golden crust and good spring. The cool oven gives pale, flatter rolls with a tougher texture.
Cut early or late
Cooling and crumb.
- Cut one roll straight from the oven and another after 30 minutes.
Look for: The warm roll is gummy and compresses. The cooled roll has a clean, set crumb. Patience pays.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cob | ||||
| Baguette-style sticks | ||||
| Plait | ||||
| Bread rolls | ||||
| Scoring or not | ||||
| Steam or dry oven | ||||
| Oven temperature | ||||
| Cut early or late |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Loaf spreads out flat | Weak skin, over-proved, or too wet | Shape tighter; prove less; use less water |
| Bursts at the side | Not scored, under-proved or shaped loosely | Score deeper; prove a little longer |
| Pale crust | Oven too cool or no steam | Preheat well; add a steam tray; bake a few minutes longer |
| Burnt base | Tray too low or too thin | Move up a shelf; double the tray |
| Raw middle | Pulled out too early or oven too hot | Tap the base; lower the temperature and bake longer |
| Plait loses its shape | Ropes uneven or over-proved | Roll evenly; prove less |
Hot ovens, trays and steam: use dry oven gloves, pull the shelf out rather than reaching in, and put hot trays and tins on a heatproof surface. If you put a tray of boiling water in the oven for steam, pour it carefully with the oven door open a little and your face well back: the steam is far hotter than the water.
Allergens: bread contains wheat (gluten). Check the recipe for milk, butter, egg, sesame and other seeds, and nuts, and label them if you share the bread. Gluten-free bread uses different flours and methods and isn't covered in this course.
- I can shape a tight round, a stick, a plait and rolls.
- I know how and why to score a loaf.
- I can make steam in a home oven safely.
- I can tell when bread is done by tapping the base.
- I wait for bread to cool before slicing.